James A. Hanson – författare

This book examines the analytical basis and practical experience of financial reforms in a number of primarily developing countries. A key finding is that financial reforms have led to improved resource allocation - an a priori belief not hitherto tested. This finding is consistent with the argument that efforts in developing countries to maximize efficiency resource utilization cannot be underestimated in their importance. There are three key lessons that suggest the crucial nature of managing the process rather than adopting a laissez-faire approach. First, more successful reform must take account of information capital; second, initial conditions in balance sheets, human and information capital, and incentive systems are fundamental in determining how to go about reform; and third, that different sequences of reforms can be tolerated and, with certain preconditions, do well.

Throughout the 1990s, numerous financial crises rocked the world financial sector. The Asian bubble burst, for example; Argentina and Brazil suffered currency crises; and the post-Soviet economy bottomed out in Russia. In Financial Crises, a distinguished group of economists and policy analysts examine and draw lessons from attempts to recover from past crises. They also consider some potential hazards facing the world economy in the 21st century and discuss ways to avoid them and minimize the severity of any future downturn. This important new volume emerges from the seventh annual conference on emerging markets finance, cosponsored and organized by the World Bank and the Brookings Institution. In the book, noted experts address the following questions: How effective were post-crisis policies in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and East and Central Asia? Where do international financial markets stand ten years after the worldwide debt crisis? How can the provision of financial services resume vigorously, yet safely? What are the viable policy options for reducing systemic financial vulnerability? What will the next emerging-market financial crisis look like? Will lessons learned from past experiences help to avoid future disasters? How can nations reform their pension systems to deal with retirement challenges in the 21st century?